Winter storm brings March mush

March 11, 2013

IRON MOUNTAIN - A winter storm warning issued for much of the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin has been replaced by a hazardous weather outlook in the Dickinson County area.

Justin Titus, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Marquette, said a low pressure system that moved south of the area and along Lake Michigan Sunday night into this morning caused the widespread wet, heavy snowfall.

Titus said that snowfall is now transitioning to lake effect snow along Lake Superior.

A weather observer for National Weather Service in Norway reported 4.4 inches of snowfall.

Schools in Dickinson County and Iron County, along with Florence County schools, were closed due to the snowy, slushy, icy road conditions today.

Rain and freezing rain occurred over the weekend.

The Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District had a two-hour delay. Niagara Area Schools are open today.

The National Weather Service in Green Bay issued a special weather statement for Florence and northern Marinette counties. Light snow will mix with freezing drizzle and an inch or less of further accumulations is expected for those counties.

Hazardous driving conditions should be expected.

A hazardous weather outlook is now in effect in Dickinson, Iron, Menominee and Delta counties and other areas long Lake Michigan. A few inches of additional snow accumulation are possible over the next couple of days, officials said.

Titus said in the last 24 hours, Marquette County from Sawyer to Negaunee received under 10 inches of snow in six hours, from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Houghton received four to six inches, Escanaba has under four inches, Gogebic County got one inch of snowfall, and Ironwood received two to three inches of snow.

"Lakeshore counties, southern Houghton, Baraga, Marquette and Alger, are under a winter storm warning until 11 p.m. as another four to six inches of snow is expected to fall," Titus said.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect from Ironwood to Copper Harbor, and a winter storm warning is in effect from L'Anse to Alger County along Lake Superior, including Marquette County.